Tablet Shopping

[bjarvis]

Continuing my exploration of Android tables, I've just returned from Best Buy down the road, checking out their selection. My goal is a 10" unit, wifi, bluetooth, Honeycomb, 16GB of RAM (pref. 32GB), built-in USB port, front & back web cams, don't care about HDMI. Probably will use a bluetooth keyboard & mouse. I primarily want a device which can give me convenient Internet access around the house instead of lugging around & booting my laptop. I also want to be able to take docs, spreadsheets, ebooks & PDF files with me when I travel for quick reference. Music, movies and photos are lower to non-existent priorities.

• Asus Transformer. $400 for 16GB unit. Optional docking station but I'd prefer a detached keyboard & touch pad/mouse rather than a connected unit; the docking station has the USB ports though so plan on an extra $150. Felt heavy. Crappy camera resolution.
  
• Acer Iconia A500: $400 for 16GB unit. 1 USB port, 1 micro-USB port. Optional docking station. Thickest of all models thus far but didn't feel heavy.
  
• Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab: $500 for 16GB unit. 1 USB port. Crappy camera resolution. Slim & light though.
  
• Toshiba Thrive: $480 for 16GB unit. 1 USB port, 1 micro USB port. Lightweight & slim.
  
• Motorola Xoom, Blackberry Playbook, HP Web Tab: Not even in the running for various reasons
  

So far, for my purposes, the Acer Iconia A500 is the leader. But do I want to spend $400 for a tablet ($300 if I use my Staples coupon before July 31)? I'm not yet persuaded a tablet is the best use of money.

Edit: I've decided against purchasing in the near future. There's some nice hardware out there, but nothing compelling enough to make me open my wallet.

Comments

[wescobear.livejournal.com]

I primarily use a Dell Mini netbook with a higher 1366 X 768 resolution screen and an extended battery around the house. It's not thin, but it was around the price point you're looking at for tablets. And of course it comes with a keyboard and a trackpad. My Dell Mini also runs all the business apps I use as well as the AutoCAD viewer (the reason I opted for the higher resolution screen.) Don't worry about trends, just buy what works for you.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

I have an Asus Eee PC netbook which I've been using for 2.5 years as my primary workstation. The screen is an odd 1024x600, but it spends most of its time hooked up to a 22" monitor. It's plenty fast enough for the work I need but is small and light enough for easy transportation wherever I go. And it cost only $350 in early 2009.

In part, this little netbook is a tough act to follow so I can afford to wait a while for a better priced tablet. It would be nice to have something even more portable and boots up instantly but I can make do with what I have.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Did you consider the iPad2? I'm asking ... and no, I do not own an iPad. But, I wondered why.

HUGS!

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

Largely because nothing else we have in the house is Apple-based: I'm hesitant to spend major dollars on something which is incompatible with the rest of our hardware & systems.

Our smartphones are all Android-based so we're already 99% over the learning curve for an Android-based tablet. Our calendars & contacts are all stored in Google and we use Google Docs which has vastly better integration via Android systems than Apple's.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Thank certainly makes sense.

HUGS!

[abqdan.livejournal.com]

I'm also looking for a good reason to buy a tablet, and haven't found one. A netbook would probably be just as functional, though less 'cool'. A unit that is well spec'd and gets below $400 (eg $399...) will command some thought. For the moment, I feel the field is too immature to make the investment. So I'm glad you went through that review - kind of makes me feel I'm right not to buy!

[weekilter.livejournal.com]

OK, here's a question for you. You've settled on an Android tablet of some sort and it's going to cost you upwards of $400 or more to get a decent one. Why have you limited yourself to Android vs. iOS or WebOS? I know the app infrastructure isn't a great as it is for Android in WebOS, but just curious for your choice of OS.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

WebOS isn't in the running simply because it's a niche player at best. Unless HP does something miraculous, it's going to stay a niche player and probably be dropped from the product line in a couple of years.

Apple's iPads aren't in the running because they lack USB ports, plain & simple. Any tablet I buy of whatever make & model must be able to accept a flash memory drive on demand, otherwise it doesn't fit my day-to-day needs. iPad and iPad2 can't do that.

I'm going with Android-based tablets because our personal phones are all Android-based (or about to be). There's no learning curve required and shopping for apps for both the phones and the tablets will be greatly simplified. We also make extensive use of Google Apps, especially Google Contacts and Google Calendar: Android makes good use of these, although admittedly the native calendar app could use some improvements. I've worked with iCal and would rather chew my own foot off than deal with that mess again.